After losing PGA Tour event, Kapalua forges onward: 'A real rollercoaster'

From a distance, the Plantation Course at Kapalua looks much the same as ever — its broad, tumbling fairways framed by pines and backed by the Pacific. But as general manager Alex Nakajima makes his short commute to work, the picture shifts. Up close, the turf betrays the strain that first forced the course to close to resort play in early September and has led to the cancellation of the PGA Tour’s traditional season opener. “If you’re not right on property, you might think the course is playable,” Nakajima told GOLF.com in a phone interview. “But when you’re looking directly down on the turf, you can see the problems. It’s recovering. But...